WWII 75: Marching to Victory | April 30, 2020
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: The Death of Adolf Hitler
April 30, 1945
75 years ago today – with the Red Army only blocks away – Hitler killed himself in the Führerbunker beneath the city streets of Berlin.
WWII 75: Marching to Victory | April 29, 2020
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: The Liberation of Dachau
April 29, 1945
In April 1945, as the European war neared its end, one question loomed large: how would the Allies ensure that justice was served to the perpetrators of Dachau and other Nazi crimes against humanity?
McCullough, Albright and Baime are Wild About Harry! | April 23, 2020
The Truman Library Institute’s annual fundraiser, Wild About Harry, was originally scheduled to take place today. While we are disappointed not to be gathering with our Truman community this evening, we’re very excited to announce that Wild About Harry, including the presentation of the Harry S. Truman Legacy of Leadership Award to General James Mattis, has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2020. We hope you will mark your calendar and make plans to join us.
“The First Five Days” Webinar Series | April 20, 2020
75th Anniversary Webinar Recordings
The Truman Library Institute commemorated the 75th anniversary of Truman’s presidency with a special webinar series looking back on Truman’s first few days as President. Hosts Clifton Truman Daniel, President Truman’s eldest grandson, and Truman Library Director Dr. Kurt Graham led webinar discussions in an interactive, five-part series about Truman’s first days as the leader of the free world.
WWII 75: Marching to Victory | April 12, 2020
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: “The President Is Dead”
April 12, 1945
On the afternoon of April 12, 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman was just starting to relax after a day of presiding over the Senate when he was urgently summoned to the White House. There he received the unwelcome news that President Franklin Roosevelt had died and that he, Truman, was now president.
WWII 75: Marching to Victory | April 11, 2020
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: The Liberation of Buchenwald
April 11, 1945
On April 11, GIs of the 6th Armored Division entered Buchenwald, the main camp in a large complex of concentration camps near Weimar that had recently been abandoned by German troops. American soldiers who liberated the camp were met by thousands of emaciated camp survivors. Shortly after the camp’s liberation, Bernard Bernstein reached Buchenwald and came face-to-face with the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust. His story is part of the Truman Library’s archives, and it begins here…
WWII 75: Marching to Victory | April 1, 2020
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections
Marching to Victory: The Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945 – Easter Sunday, April Fools’ Day, and codenamed “Love Day” by U.S. forces – must have seemed an unwarlike day for starting a major military operation. Yet it was on that date that American troops landed on the Pacific island of Okinawa, initiating one of the bloodiest and most important battles of World War II.
An Update on the Truman Library’s Transformation | March 27, 2020
The Truman Library’s transformative renovation project has made excellent progress through the winter. Below are updated photos taken on March 18. Read More
New at The Truman Library | March 18, 2020
Ernestine “Ernie” Wagner and Women’s Military Service
On June 12, 1948, Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (WASIA) which allowed women to serve in official capacities in all four branches of the military. Most importantly, the act permitted women’s military service during peace time.
The WASIA paved the way for thousands of women’s military careers, including a Korean War veteran named Ernestine “Ernie” Wagner. Read More
TRU History | March 16, 2020
Harry Truman and the 1918 Pandemic
In 1918, the most severe pandemic in recent history spread through the world at alarming rates. Nearly one-third of the world’s population became infected and approximately 50 million people succumbed world wide — over half a million in the United States.
The H1N1 virus, popularly referred to as the Spanish flu, began wreaking havoc around the globe just as World War I was coming to an end.
Thousands of American soldiers remained in Europe after the war’s conclusion due to logistical transportation issues. One soldier awaiting transport was Captain Harry S. Truman who led Battery D of the 35th Division. Read More
